Preserving: Pickle Relish

Much to my chagrin, I had used the last of our homemade pickle relish by adding it to the potato salad that I had none left for my hotdog.  As a kid I used to put ketchup on my hotdog, but now I love only mustard, onions and pickle relish.  And so yesterday morning, I minced 3 large cucumbers from our garden along with green bell pepper, red bell pepper, white onion, and garlic.  I then sprinkled two teaspoons of salt and added water to cover, stirred and then set it aside overnight (you can do just 6 hours). I then poured the minced vegetables into a colander and rinsed them well.

This morning, I got to pickling.  I turned on the stove to get the water in my canner boiling and to sterilize my pint jars.  I poured 3 cups of vinegar and a half cup of sugar into a big pot along with two teaspoons of dill weed (I only had dried but otherwise, I'd leave a sprig in the jar before processing), 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds, 2 teaspoons celery seeds, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and 2 bay leaves.

Boil and then reduce to a medium low simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the drained vegetables and return to a boil.  Then reduce to medium low and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. 

 

I then poured the relish into my canning jars.  I was only able to fill two, and had only enough left to fill a quarter of a jar.  The first jar to the left, I put a plastic lid on and straight into the fridge and processed the other two jars in the canner for 10 minutes.  I've made enough relish to last for the year or until the next cucumber harvest.

Cooking: How I Do Lunch on Summer Vacation

Avocado toast is my standard for breakfast.  However, tomatoes are in season, and my friend, Bob tore the baguette he bought at Acme Bakery in half and gave it to me.  Chopped Black Krim tomatoes and mashed avocados atop slices of baguette with sprinklings of sea salt and Aleppo pepper make for a tasty open-faced sandwich.

I also know I'm on vacation when I can imbibe wine with lunch.  I fried a whole package of bacon the evening before for BLTs, which also topped my deviled eggs.

Cobb salad is my favorite, and I'm trying to use things up in my pantry and fridge and prevent food waste and not grocery shop only to discover I already had the ingredient.  However, I did not have blue cheese, and it's de rigueur for this salad along with all the bacon I fried and eggs I soft boiled and rotisserie chicken I thawed prior.

I actually cooked this for dinner to use up frozen Udon noodles and prepackaged broccoli beef in my freezer and baby bok choy in my vegetable bin.

And then I was on a lox bagel kick because there's no better combination than a fresh baked bagel, whipped cream cheese, red onion, capers and soft unctuous smoked salmon.

Ceramics: Reglazing?

I pulled this sushi platter from the kiln room today, and I love it, but....I worry that it's not food safe.  I love the combination of Blue Moon engobe and Marine Blue underglaze, but a touch of warm green or King Tut turquoise engobe with another layer of clear overglaze to fill in those crevices where food might get stuck in its present state.  

Quilting: A T-Shirt Blanket

My t-shirt drawer is overflowing, and I've been wanting to de-stash it but am reluctant to just dump the ones I don't wear to Goodwill for reasons like nostalgia and just plain liking the graphic.  However, I'm reluctant to make a quilt like the one below, which I find just plain unattractive.  I'm not a fan of such a mishmash of colors and graphics and texts though I'm sure the disparate blocks are sentimental for the recipient and owner of the quilt.

I've discovered that I have a color palette when it comes to my favorite t-shirts: black, gray and navy blue, and so I'm no longer averse to making a t-shirt quilt.  This book I spied at Joann's has given me some ideas on making a t-shirt quilt I'll love.

I really love the equilateral triangles below, but I'm wondering if the pattern will work with the logos on my t-shirts which are different shapes and sizes.   

I also love the single letter monogram quilt below, but I'd have to live with the half square triangles truncating the logos of my tshirts and of covering some of them up with the applique.  But note that some of the squares below are not half square triangles and are complete squares, solving the problem of not cutting into a logo.

And I love hexagons, and I see it working as a design for the quilt below.  But my t-shirts are adult sized and not petite children's motifs which is why it coheres in this nautical wall quilt.

I also like the offset blocks interspersed with plaids and stripes below, but maybe I like it more for the bauhaus logo.

To be continued.